Native American style flute playing tips for beginners

To begin simply cover all of the finger holes using the first three fingers of each hand. If you have a five hole flute, use the first two fingers of one hand for the top two holes and the first three of the other hand to cover the bottom three holes. Use the flat pads of your fingers rather than the finger tips. The holes are easier to cover this way. Relax, and blow a medium volume of air into the mouthpiece of the flute (this is the end with the decorative block closest to it).

Don't worry right away about playing a song, just concentrate on getting comfortable with where the finger holes are. Begin by slowly lifting the third finger of your lower hand (the furthest hole away from the mouthpiece) then the second, and continue one at a time up the flute and then back down. For beginners, be sure to not uncover holes closer to the mouthpiece when holes that are further away are still covered. This will help the flute to sound better when starting out. When you become more advanced and comfortable with the flute, you can begin to add cross fingering.

For 6 hole flutes (5 hole skip this paragraph) until you get into more advanced playing, leave the third hole closest to the mouthpiece (third finger of the upper hand) closed at all times. Pretend this hole is not there and use that finger to help hold on to the flute. Some will even close this hole off with a piece of leather temporarily. The available notes will sound better together this way because the flute has two separate scales which can be challenging for beginners. For now we will just pretend that the flute has 5 holes.

Lessons may be available in your area, but the Native Flute is a simple instrument where no formal training is needed. Simply play what is in your heart or look to the horizon or to a plant for highs and lows peaks and valleys. The world around us contains countless songs in the form of nature—look here for inspiration.

Buying Your First Native American Style Flute | NAF Beginers

The Native American style flute is one of the easiest wind instruments to play. The Minor tuning of the Native flute makes it easy because more notes go together than with most modern instruments. This simplicity allows non-trained individuals to be able to pick up the flute and make pleasing sounds within a matter of minutes. Everybody has a song--find yours.

In the past, the Native American Flute was used by many tribes in many different ways. For some it was used in ceremony, for others it was used in courting or signaling. The Woodlands Flute was often used in a meditative like way to speak through music what could not be said with words. Flutes were often made out of a split branch or river cane, using the sizes of particular body parts such as thumb widths and arm lengths as guides for barrel length and hole location. This system allowed the tuning of early Native American Flutes to come somewhere close to between what is now considered modern Pentatonic and Diatonic scales.

FLUTES CURRENTLY IN STOCK

ALL NATURAL NATIVE AMERICAN STYLE FLUTES IN STOCK IN ARIZONA

Available for immediate shipping!

CANE FLUTES – A

CANE FLUTES – G#

CANE FLUTES - G

CANE FLUTES – F#

CANE FLUTES – F

CANE FLUTES – E

YUCCA FLUTES – A

YUCCA FLUTES – G#

YUCCA FLUTES - G

YUCCA FLUTES – F#

YUCCA FLUTES – F

YUCCA FLUTES – E

AGAVE FLUTES – A

AGAVE FLUTES – G#

AGAVE FLUTES - G

AGAVE FLUTES – F#

AGAVE FLUTES – F

AGAVE FLUTES – E

CHARACTER FLUTES – A

CHARACTER FLUTES – G#

CHARACTER - G

CHARACTER – F#

CHARACTER – F

CHARACTER – E

FLUTES IN LOWER KEYS…

I do make a limited number of flutes in lower keys by special order only. Their availability depends on the flute wood stock that I have on hand. If you have or have seen one of my flutes and are interested in a deeper tone… give me a call to see what is available. If I am not in… please leave a message. 480-988-9987.

Here a few photos of some of my deeper flutes:

THE WOODS

ARIZONA NATIVE AMERICAN STYLE FLUTES MADE FROM ARIZONA NATIVE WOODS:

If you really want to know what is different about my Native American Style Flutes… it’s the materials I use when crafting them. I have seen many Native American flutes over the years, and I will admit that my first flute was a purchased flute made of aromatic red cedar. I still love that flute today because it changed my life. But I still play the first flute I ever made myself over 15 years ago more than any other. That flute has been worked and re-worked several times as I did not know anything about tuning them when I jumped into the project… I just rolled up my sleeves and went for it!

Amazingly… after all of the tweaks and repairs… this flute has a warm, round tone that is familiar to me and I always choose to play it first. It has been all over the country with me and around many campfires and small performances. I included a picture of it at the bottom of this page.

ARIZONA RIVER CANE (GIANT REED GRASS)

YUCCA STALKS

AGAVE STALKS

FLUTE ACCESSORIES

If you want to keep your flute healthy and looking it’s best for years to come… here are a few suggestions for accessories you may want to purchase. Please note that there is nothing special about the products I have selected and most of them can be purchased at local stores in your area. I have only included them on our site as a convenience for our customers.

• Flute Finish Care Kit

- Salad Bowl Oil or Natural Beeswax polish (your choice)

- Polishing Cloth

- Flute Cleaning Rod

• Flute Storage Sock in Fleece

• Flute Storage Sock in Buckskin with fringe

FLUTE PRICES AND OPTIONS

YUCCA AND AGAVE FLUTES AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING KEYS:

A, G#, G, F#, F, E

YUCCA AND AGAVE FLUTES:

Base Price (skin in tact) $125.00

Base Price (No skin, sanded smooth) $145.00

Longer profile with direction holes add $10.00

Add Elk antler tip bird $10.00

Add four additional buckskin ties $5.00

Add artificial sinew wraps (up to 3 locations) $10.00

More about Yucca Native American Style flutes in Arizona

More about Agave flutes Native American Style flutes in Arizona

CHARACTER FLUTES IN YUCCA OR AGAVE:

Base Price (skin in tact) $150.00

Base Price (No skin, sanded smooth) $170.00

Longer profile with tuning holes add $20.00

Add Dear or Elk antler tip bird $10.00

Add four additional buckskin ties $5.00

Add artificial sinew wraps (up to 3 locations) $10.00

More about Character flutes

CANE FLUTES AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING KEYS:

A, G#, G, F#, F

CARRIZO CANE FLUTES

Base Price $65.00

Longer profile with tuning holes add $20.00

Add Deer or Elk antler tip bird $10.00

Add four additional buckskin ties $5.00

Add artificial sinew wraps (up to 3 locations) $10.00

More about Cane flutes

FLUTE CARE | CARING FOR AND MAINTAINING THE NATIVE AMERICAN FLUTE

All of my flutes are finished with hand-rubbed 100% natural Tung Oil. After the final coat, I give them a light rub with super fine steel wool to smooth out and slightly dull the finish. Tung oil is wonderful because you can always add another coat at any time to enhance the finish if it becomes worn.

Any natural furniture wax can be used in moderation to keep your flute looking it’s best. If you do decide to ad more tung oil to your flute at any time… it will need to be thoroughly cleaned with alcohol to remove any of the wax build up form the polish or oily residue from your hands before the new finish is applied.

Native American Style Flutes require very little maintenance and if the bird on top of the flute is positioned correctly and there are no small specks of dust, dirt or other obstructions in the flue area… your flute will play just like the first day you got it. If you play your flute for an extended period of time your flute will “water-out” and start playing funny, (especially in colder temperatures). When this occurs, al you need to do is untie and remove the bird from the top of the flute and shake the flute downward by holding the “foot” end of the flute so the condensed water will come out the mouthpiece. You can then wipe any excess water from around the sound holes and mouthpiece. Then just let the flute rest and dry out well before replacing the bird.

CUSTOM ORDER FLUTES…

Since each one of my flutes is entirely handcrafted personally by me and me alone. I am wiling to entertain any and all special requests. My most common special requests are the following:

Inlay a special item into the flute (Like a birthstone etc) I have done elk teeth and other items as well.

Adding bird feathers

Custom requests for the bird on top of the flute

Additional burning of the flute for an extra dark appearance (see photo)

Smaller, Higher pitched flutes

Any custom flute order or special request must be discussed over the phone. Please click here to email me with your specials requests… I will reply to your email and we can then discuss the options.

Thanks again for you interest in my Arizona Native American Style Flutes.

AGAVE FLUTES | CENTURY PLANT

The Agave plant is sometimes referred to as a “century plant” and is one of the most unique and beautiful plants in the Sonoran desert. When these plants are in bloom, my children would refer to them as the “Dr. Suess trees” when we would see them. The upper parts of the stalks near the branches have a curvy shape like a snake and make beautiful flutes with so much character.

Like the Yucca flutes, I craft them either with the outer skin shaved off and sanded smooth or with the skin on in it’s natural color and appearance. These agave flutes range in color from rusty brown to a deep maroon tone. They are also very lightweight and resonate very well as you play them vs. the “tight” sound quality of a hardwood lumber flute turned on a lathe.

Owning one of these flutes is like going back in time. They are truly beautiful and unique in every way. If you have never tired playing a Native American Style flute that is made form the natural woods of the desert… you are really missing out.

ARIZONA DESERT FLUTES | NATURAL HAND-MADE LOVE FLUTE ARIZONA

INDIAN LOVE FLUTE ARIZONA AZ | NATIVE AMERICAN STYLE FLUTES IN PHOENIX AZ

YUCCA FLUTES | SOTOL YUCCA

Yucca wood has a very smooth soft quality about it and makes some of the most authentic, ancient sounding flutes I have ever heard. If you have ever been to the desert… you will appreciate the natural cactus wood aroma of these handcrafted flutes. There is such a vast array of color and shape when working with Yucca. I make Yucca Native American style flutes with either the exterior plant skin still in tact or with the skin removed for a smoother appearance. I love them both. Many times a weathered piece of Yucca can be skinned and smoothed out to reveal some very interesting texture and color hiding underneath the skin… see pictures below.

These Yucca stalks are hard to come by and supply is somewhat limited because I have to obtain them from private land as the native desert plants are protected. If you appreciate a really natural looking and beautiful sounding flute… consider one of these Yucca Native American Style flutes… teach one is so unique… you will not be disappointed.

Yucca Flute - Skin removed - Direction Holes - Elk Antler Tip Bird

ARIZONA NATIVE WOOD FLUTES | CHARACTER FLUTES | AGAVE FLUTES

RIVER CANE FLUTES | LOVE FLUTES IN ARIZONA

CHARACTER FLUTES

My character flutes are my first love. When I saw my first image of Kokopelli, I immediately noticed the bent or “arched’ shape of his flute. I had to know why the majority of these images had the flute bending down towards the ground vs. a straight flute profile. When investigating the local Yucca stalks that ha fallen to the ground, I noticed that most of them had a very similar bend to the ones always pictured in Kokopelli’s hands. I have been especially fond of this style of flutes ever since.

My character flutes are those with unique twists and bends in them. Sometimes the tome of the flute is slightly affected… but that is what I love most about them. Every flute I make has a very unique voice and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you are looking for the “tight” repeatable sound of a lumber or PVC pipe flute… my flutes are not for you. However… if you want to shut your eyes and wander back in time and imagine the sounds of nature, the echo of the canyon walls and maybe the smell of a nearby campfire as you play… you have found the right place.

NATIVE AMERICAN STYLE FLUTES IN ARIZONA | YUCCA FLUTES | AGAVE FLUTES

RIVER CANE FLUTES | HANDCRAFTED LOVE FLUTES IN ARIZONA

The Legend of Kokopelli

Kokopelli was the predominant figure in the religious landscape of the Southwest, from 500 A.D. through 1325 A.D., until the development of the Katsina Cult. Kokopelli is most typically viewed as a fertility deity, and is still worshipped by many Native American tribes in the Southwest. He is also thought to be a trickster, traveling salesman, insect, musician, warrior and hunting magician.

What Does Kokopelli Look Like?
His likeness varies almost as much as his legends. He is usually shown as a humpbacked flute player, often with a large phallus and antenna-like protrusions on his head. Some images show knobby knees and clubfeet. These physical deformities, along with the humpback and permanent erection, are the results of Pot's Disease, a form of tuberculosis.

Kokopelli's Humpback
It is thought by some that Kokopelli's humpback may have evolved from a sack that was slung over his shoulders. The contents of his sack vary as much as the legends.

Kokopelli's Sack of Trade
The sack may have contained goods for trade. This is based upon the beliefs that Kokopelli represented early Aztec traders, known as Potchecas, from Meso-America. These salesmen would travel from the cities of the Maya and Aztec with their goods in sacks slung across their backs. These traders also used their flutes to announce themselves as they approached a settlement.

Kokopelli's Sack of Gifts
More commonly, it is thought that Kokopelli's sack was full of gifts. According to a Hopi myth, Kokopelli's sack contained babies to be left with young women. At San Idelfonso, a Pueblo village, Kokopelli is thought to be a wandering minstrel with a sack of songs on his back who trades old songs for new. According to Navajo legend, Kokopelli is a God of harvest and plenty. It is thought that his sack was made of clouds full of rainbows or seeds.

ARIZONA RIVER CANE FLUTES

In Arizona we have a different kind of cane that grows in the moist areas and river beds. It is a cousin of the bamboos and canes that you are used to seeing but is actually a giant grass by definition. It’s scientific name is “Arundo Donax” and it grows wild in some areas of the Sonoran desert. It has recently been targeted for removal from many riparian areas because of it’s status as an “invasive species” It is a clumping vs. a running cane but will take over a riparian area if you let it. I am able to harvest what I need in areas near Phoenix and Tucson and keep producing flutes from this wonderful natural material.

My Arizona Cane Flutes vary in all shapes and sizes as well as color. The wall thickness and density of these flutes varies as well. This particular plant species yields similar wall thickness variations to bamboo… but the physical weight and density is much lighter and softer in most cases. A lightweight flute with thinner walls will dance in your hands while you play it similar to a thin-walled western red cedar flutes. I have included a few photos below in order to give you and ideas of characteristics of these flutes.

Like any Native American Style Flute… care needs to be taken not to leave the flute in an area where it could be accidently stepped on or sat on. Some of the thinner walled flutes sound the best, but are naturally a bit more fragile. I heat treat all of my cane flutes and really like the burned look of the final finish.


YUCCA NATIVE AMERICAN STYLE FLUTES | NATURAL NATIVE AMERICAN STYLE FLUTES | ARIZONA RIVER CANE FLUTES | NAF MAKER ARIZONA